Rampant Abuse Of ALLI Weight Loss Drug Reported

Nicki Anderson exposes a dirty truth about a risky new weight loss drug

My friend and fellow fitness lover Nicki Anderson who owns and operates the Naperville, IL-based Reality Fitness health center wrote an incredible article in her weekly "Happy Monday" newsletter this week about how the allure of "quick weight loss" can oftentimes deter you from the more important job of retaining your health.

Ever since I first blogged about Nicki early last year, I have grown to love and appreciate her perspective as a weight loss and health counselor for those who desire to get fit. She is arguably one of the most enthusiastic people in the health world you will ever meet and I count it a privilege to know her.

Get a taste of Nicki by reading what she thinks about the low-fat diet as well as some comments she made in a newspaper story on low-carb. She's definitely someone who deserves to be listened to when she speaks about diet, health, and nutrition and today's subject matter is no exception.

You'll recall I've come down pretty hard against the new over-the-counter weight loss drug called ALLI. In fact, I dedicated an entire podcast show (which became an instant classic and one of the favorites among my listeners!) to it which precipitated quite a response from both pro and con from those who had an opinion about taking it.

Well, Nicki shared what some of her own clients are saying about the use--or should I say ABUSE--of ALLI as part of the weight loss regimen of those they know. Keep in mind this ALLI drug is available EVERYWHERE now, including Wal-mart, drugstores, and anywhere there is a pharmacy. It ain't cheap, but price is no option for many when they just wanna lose weight ANY way they can.

Click here to read the shocking details of what Nicki's client told her about how some people are using ALLI in their desperate attempts to lose weight and to learn why eating healthy should ALWAYS take precedence over being skinny.

Taking Stimulant Laxatives For Weight Loss Is Playing With Fire

One of the most troubling aspects of our society's demand for perfection in terms of weight and beauty is the length to which desperate people will go to try to attain the unreachable. Despondency reaches its ultimate peak when otherwise intelligent and prudent individuals resort to the unthinkable.

When it comes to weight loss at any cost, many will turn to laxatives to give them what they perceive to be an extra edge in this sickening game. If I can lose 30 pounds through diet alone, then surely I can lose 50 with the help of a little Ex-Lax, right? What could it hurt since I'll reach my weight loss goal in record time?

Let me just say this right off the bat--if you are reading this right now and think this is a good way to go about losing weight, then listen to me very carefully. You have an eating disorder that needs immediate medical assistance. See your doctor about it as soon as possible.

It's a very serious condition called bulimia and I've heard from many bulimics in my e-mail box. This subject is so prevalent nowadays that there's even a Swedish author writing a book about eating disorders to help people who find themselves in this situation.

Because bulimia has sadly become commonplace in modern culture, I thought it would be educational to look at what laxatives do to your body and why it is a myth that they can help you lose weight better and faster. You might want to print this blog post out if you, a friend, or family member is taking laxatives while dieting.

The perception about laxatives is that they help remove the calories from the foods you eat which in turn will keep your body from storing it as fat. Additionally, laxatives are thought to be a good way to "empty" the stomach when you are full to relieve the discomfort associated with your stomach after a meal.

But the truth of the matter is the calories that are removed from the body through the use of laxatives is statistically negligible and people who use laxatives as a weight loss aid could very well be harming themselves in the process.

Keep in mind, I'm not referring to any bulk-forming fiber supplementation that you may take such as Metamucil, Citrucel and FiberCon while livin' la vida low-carb. These are all indeed an excellent way to properly cleanse your body naturally and safely and I highly recommend it.

Instead, I'm referring to what is known as "stimulant laxatives" like Ex-Lax, Senokot and Correctol. These are BAD NEWS and should NOT be a part of your weight loss strategy. Why? Because they work to artificially stimulate the nerve endings in your colon which is at the end of the digestive tract, all that's left of the food you've consumed by the time it gets there are the most nutrient-void parts of what you ate.

Keep in mind that the colon is where your body absorbs the electrolytes and water you eat and drink. If none of this is present because of the stimulant laxatives you have taken for weight loss, then your body runs into some very real dangers, including:

- Electrolyte disorders like low blood potassium which can paralyze your body, cause an irregular heartbeat, and quite possibly kill you. Your body needs electrolytes in the exact amounts it normally self-regulates so your nerves, muscles, and heart will work correctly.

- Dehydration occurs when stimulant laxatives rob your body of necessary liquid before it reaches the colon. This can lead to muscle cramps, tremors, fainting spells, and, again, even death.

- Damage to nerve endings in the colon is also a very real concern because these nerve endings are what the body relies on to excrete waste from the body. If the stimulant laxatives render these nerve endings useless, then the result could be a total loss of control over bowel movements and even leaking of the rectum. Taking extra laxatives to try to resolve this problem could permanently damage nerve endings.

- Water weight loss that results from the use of a stimulant laxative is only temporary because the amount of weight reduced on the scale will go back up again once the body is properly rehydrated again. Failure to drink ample fluids can cause the body to faint and may lead to death.

- As previously stated, calories are not burned or removed when you use stimulant laxatives because most of the calories in the food you have consumed are absorbed in the small intestines before it reaches the colon. Studies from Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. have shown this to be true even when the caloric intake is much higher. The body absorbs most of the calories despite the use of the laxative.

Finally, be sure if you use an herbal tea supplement on your low-carb lifestyle that you look out for ones that contain any of the following ingredients: senna, aloe, buckhorn, rhubarb root, cascara, or castor oil. If used in excess, then even this plant-based laxative can cause some pretty serious issues like diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting, stomach cramps, and quite possibly lead your colon to stop working altogether. Yikes!

If you are currently taking stimulant laxatives to help your weight loss efforts, then stop doing that and CALL YOUR DOCTOR ASAP! He or she will be happy to help you beat this before it destroys your health!

Instead of taking laxatives, try these HEALTHY weight loss aides:

- Drink a whole lotta water throughout the day
- Eats lots of low-carb, high-fiber foods
- Take a quick walk to stimulate a bowel movement

For more information on this very important topic, please read "Dangers Of Using Laxatives For Weight Loss" and "Addicted To Laxatives."

If you would like to share your story about how you abused laxatives for the purpose of weight loss and then overcame it, then I'd be happy to hear from you anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

Swedish Author Examining Eating Disorders, Needs Your Feedback

There's a very important book in the process of being written by a Swedish woman named Frida discussing the serious but often neglected issue of eating disorders. I've heard from quite a few people with eating disorders since I started this blog in April 2005, including this memorable cry for help from a bulimic earlier this year.

From overeating to anorexia, bulimia to ortorexia, as well as sugar addiction to carbohydrate obsession, this is a subject that has been swept under the rug long enough and I for one am glad to see it coming out in the open in the form of a book.

When you have been overweight or obese as I was for most of my life, you never really THINK about an eating disorder. I don't know if people even realize it when they are that close to the situation which may explain why the problem persists for many years before it is detected if ever. It is perhaps the saddest and most lonely state of existence you can possibly be in and there are countless numbers of people dealing with this day in and day out.

Frida wants to hear from anyone who "would be interested in sharing their experiences" with any eating disorder.

"Obviously it’s anonymous and you will of course get a copy of the book," she said.

The book will contain real life stories of people who have been through various eating disorders and how they overcame them. For Frida, this is a topic of personal interest for her.

"A friend of mine almost died in anorexia, and that's how my interest in the disease started," she explained.

She expects to devote about ten pages to each person's story to share all the intimate details so that others who read the book will find comfort and hope for their own situation. Frida says we can learn from our shared experiences in an effort to show others how to avoid making the same mistakes.

"I think that recognizing yourself in other people is a good start in recovering," she explained.

What do you need to share? Pretty much your story in your own words or the story of a friend or family member who has been through the pain of an eating disorder. Your identity will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous, so don't worry about providing as many details as you can using the following keywords and questions as a guideline for sharing your thoughts:

Growing up
School
Friends
Sports and exercising
Strain & demands (your own? From the surroundings? From parents?)
Self-esteem
How did everything begin? When?
When did you realize that you were ill?
What did people around you say? When did they notice it? Did you try to hide it?
How did this affect you as a person?
Do you feel like this has been a waste of years?
Do you consider yourself healthy today?
How does someone get rid of this disease?
Can you do that by yourself?
How long did it take to get better (if you are)?
Why do you think people get this desease?
Why is there an obsession to look good?
Why do a lot of people feel ashamed of this?
Give examples of what a typical day was like.
Better and worse days? When is it better?
How are you today?
Excuses
Can you ever get completely well from an eating disorder?
Did you ever think that your body could get hurt? Did you care?
Social life? Isolation?
If bulimia and compulsury eating, was it expensive buying all the food?
Did someone ever discover you ”in action” with your eating disorder?
How much did you eat? What?
How did it get so far?
How did you deceive friends and family?
How do you handle your feelings today?
Are eating disorders common among your family and friends? Why?
How do you feel in general about those years?
Share excerpts from your diary.
Did you feel the need for control?
What do you want your future to be like?
When did you make the decision to become well?
How do magazines, TV and so on affect you?
What role does society play in eating disorders?
Most people do want to get well, so why don't they do something?
Did you ever think that your health can get damaged?
The trend of healthiness, how did it influence you?
Tell a little about yourself--age, personality, quirks.
If you think back in time, what would you have done differently?
The best tip you can give for other people?
Why do you think you became ill?
Why is it so difficult to get well?

The following is a sample story to give you an idea what Frida is looking for:

It is difficult to say when everything began. I remember as a young child sitting at the dinner table with my family and my father and I having eating contests. I always loved the potluck suppers at church, especially all of those delicious desserts. I was an active child and didn’t have any eating issues at that time.

My major issue is lack of self-esteem. As I progressed into my teenage years and young adulthood I bought into the myths that our media spoon feeds us. I used to starve myself and it began. It was so easy to lose weight as a late teenager, young adult. I was of average weight, but I always wanted to be thinner.

I got married, had a child at 23 and within a month I was back into a size 5. I just stopped eating until I got there. I also did drugs and each time I did I would be so hard on myself with negative self talk that I never could get the munchies like most people. I had my next child at 29 and ballooned up to over 200 pounds. I was married to a man that was extremely emotionally abusive (a pattern it seems as my father was verbally abusive as well). I learned in my marriage that to stand up and speak my mind, heart and feelings was fruitless, I was never heard.

And that, I have a feeling is where the monkey jumped officially on to my back. When I was angry, sad, hurt, lonely, I just ate. And ate. And ate. After my second child I got back to my pre-pregnancy size of about size 7 within five years. I had my last child at 35. Again I ballooned up to over 200 pounds.

I divorced my husband when my son was almost three and my weight continued to climb. I had an emergency surgery, and became homeless, moving six times in two years. I was well over 220 by this time. I was depressed, overwhelmed, dealing with a child with bipolar disorder and I finally snapped. I started using amphetamines and drinking and lost over 75 pounds for the second time in my life.

I looked good and felt good, but felt angry because of the way people treated me when I was thin versus fat. I resented that people gave me more value and worth as a thin woman. I was the same person inside dammit. I stopped doing the drugs (that I had gotten through my physician) and drinking, but had met a man on the internet that I felt was my soulmate. We moved in together seven years ago. Life was good.

I was a size 10, was in love, had a great job. Time went on and the holidays came around. My bipolar child was hospitalized and I baked some holiday goodies to bring to her for Christmas. I ate a few, and then a few more…and next thing I realized I was again a size 20. I realized that again I had been sucked in by my demons, that instead of owning my power and speaking my truths that again I had numbed and buried them in food.

Food is horrible for me. It’s not like drugs or alcohol where you just quit and you are done. We require it to live. I can’t just eat to nourish my body, once I start eating I eat and eat. I can’t eat just one cookie. If I eat one, I eat the entire bag. I do well sometimes and just stay away from the foods that I know are my downfall. But I always end up back there.

It’s difficult in our culture. If you are young and thin you have value. If you are older and less thin you are invisible.

I have successfully isolated myself from the world. I stopped watching television for over ten years. I have no friends, nor do I want any. I am challenged in relationships. I have major trust issues. I trust no one. I look forward to death. I am not suicidal, but I am tired of life. I don’t know who I am and I am so governed by what I must do that I cannot find a way to discover who I am. I like much about who I am, but I dislike much of who I am."

This is an extremely sensitive subject, but it is the unspoken pain carried around by millions. If you have overcome your eating disorder and want to help other avoid the same mistakes that you made, then please e-mail your story to Frida at flfrida@yahoo.se. You'll feel great inside that you gave others the chance to see they are not alone in this battle. THANK YOU for helping out with this worthy cause!

Bulimic Cries Out For Help At Low-Carb Blog

Life has been so super busy for me lately with so much going on that it's hard to fit everything into the day that I'd like to be doing. That's okay because being busy beats the alternative when I was morbidly obese weighing over 400 pounds! Plus the time I am investing in the things I am doing are worthwhile. One of those things is receiving and answering hundreds of e-mails a week from people about low-carb, diet, health, and weight loss.

One of the saddest e-mails I have received in a long time came this week from a woman named Frances. This young lady is going through some very difficult times in her life right now and she really doesn't know what to do. She came to me broken and looking for restoration in what she sees as a hopeless existence. I share this e-mail with you because perhaps you are feeling like a Frances, too.

Read her heartbreaking story and you'll see what I mean:

Hi Jimmy,

My name is Frances and I am 26. I am not obese, but just a little overweight. Weight has been an issue for me ever since I was a child growing up. Sometimes it even had an impact on my social and spiritual life.

I exercise alot, but I eat a lot too! For example, when I started to a eat a little and I can already feel I am very full, I would continue to binge especially on fatty foods for no reason at all. Later on, all I can do is throw it up.

And there was one time, I decided to go to my "bulimia" support session which I ended up missing because I looked all puffy and teary from throwing up, so I didn't want to see anyone or have anyone see me like that. During my fat days after some business travelings, I refused to go to church because I knew I would have received some comments about the extra weight I had gained.

What I ended up doing was hiding at home most of the time. I really missed some of my old high school friends, but I am too ashamed to see them anymore because I feel so out of place!!! I need a lot of self-control and I simply can't resist temptation. I have prayed to God and asked Him for self-control, but I am still struggling now!

I am looking for some advice from you and hope you can help....

God Bless You!

Frances

Click here to read my encouragement back to Frances and to provide her with your own positive comments, especially if you are someone who has been a bulimic and overcome it in your life. Let's flood Frances with uplifting and hopeful messages so she realizes her life is worth so much more than she believes it does now. THANKS for caring for this precious child of God.